Google forges ahead with search, privacy changes despite regulatory scrutiny

Google is forging ahead with changes to its search engine and its privacy policy despite the risk of a crackdown by government regulators.

Earlier this month, Google began highlighting content from its social networking site Google+ in search results. Critics argue that by giving a preference to its own service over competitors like Facebook and Twitter, Google ran afoul of antitrust laws that ban anticompetitive behavior. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) was already investigating Google for potential antitrust violations, and a consumer group has urged the agency to include the search changes as part of its probe. Just as the furor over the search changes began to subside, Google announced an overhaul of its privacy policy, allowing it to share user information across its various services. The change means users could see ads in Gmail based on the videos they watch on YouTube, for example.

Both moves were bold considering Google is already under intense scrutiny for potential antitrust and privacy violations.